The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 121 The Hound of the Baskervilles (2)
"It is said that during the time of the Great Rebellion (I sincerely recommend to you that you should read the history written by the learned Lord Clarendon), this Baskerville Manor was originally occupied by Hugo Baskerville, Undeniably he was a vulgar, ungodly man. In fact, if that was all, his neighbors would have forgiven him, for the Holy Faith never flourished in this part of the world. His nature was arrogant and cruel. , well-known in the West. This Mr. Hugo fell in love (if such a pure term could be used to call his obscene passion) the daughter of a peasant who planted a few acres near the Baskerville estate. But This girl has always been cautious in her words and deeds, and has a good reputation. It is too late to avoid him, not to mention that she is still afraid of his notoriety. Later on Micomos Day, this Mr. Xiu Guo knew that her father and brother had gone out. Together with five or six idle and dirty friends, they secretly went to her house and snatched the girl back. They brought her into the manor and locked her in a small room upstairs. Xiu Guo was like her friends Sitting around and drinking revelry as usual at night. At this time, the poor girl upstairs heard the wild singing and roaring downstairs and those unbearable dirty words. She was terrified and at a loss. Someone said, Xiu Guo Baskerville's drunken utterances, which anyone would have been damned to repeat, and at last, in a state of extreme terror, she did what the bravest and most cunning would have done What a surprise.

"She came out of the window, grabbed the vines that still covered the south wall, climbed down from the eaves, and ran across the moor to her house, which was about nine miles from her house.

"After a while, Xiu Guo left the guests, took food and wine—maybe there were worse things—and went to find the girl he had taken captive, only to find that the caged bird had escaped After that, he rushed downstairs as if possessed, jumped onto the big dining table, and kicked all the wine bottles, wooden plates, etc. in front of him away. He yelled at his friends and said : If only he could catch up with the girl that night, he would give his body and soul to the devil and put him at the mercy of him. When the drunken thugs were stunned by his rage, there was a particularly vicious one—maybe It was because he was more drunk than others—yelling that all the hounds should be let out to chase her. After hearing what he said, Xiu Guo ran out, shouting to the coachman to lead the horses and saddle them and put the dogs in the kennels away. The dogs were all let out, and the hounds sniffed the kerchief that the girl had dropped, and let them out in a swarm, and the dogs galloped across the moonlit moor amidst howls of barking.

"The rascals stood dumbfounded, wondering what all this fuss was all about. It took a while for them to figure out what they were going to do in the moor, and then they started yelling again that some of them wanted pistols, Some people were looking for their own horses, and some even wanted to bring a bottle of wine. Finally, their manic minds finally regained a little reason, and all thirteen rode on their horses and chased them out. The moon above them clearly According to them, they were close to each other and galloped along the path that the girl must take to return home.

"While they had run a mile or two, they met a shepherd in the moor, and shouted to ask him if he had seen the man they were going to pursue. It is said that the shepherd was so frightened that he could hardly speak, and at last he Said he did see the poor girl, with a pack of hounds chasing her. 'I saw more than that,' said he, 'and Hugo Baskerville rode by on his black horse. And there was a big devil-like hound following him silently. God, don't let such a dog follow me!' The drunkards scolded the shepherd and rode off again. but soon they were chilled with fright, for they heard a gallop in the moor, and then saw the black horse, foaming at the mouth, galloping past, with no one in the saddle. , the reins dragged on the ground. Since then the drunkards have all huddled together, because they are already terrified, but they always go on in the moor. If they were walking there alone, they would have turned their horses and run away. and so they rode slowly, till at last they overtook the pack of hounds, all of which, though famous for their breed and valor, were now crowded together at the end of a deep ditch in the moor. , whining one after another, some had already fled, others stood on end, staring at a narrow ditch in front of them.

"The gang reined in their horses, and you can guess they're much more sober now than when they set out. Most of them didn't want to go any further, but the three most daring—perhaps the most drunk—went on. The horse went down to the ravine. There was a wide flat ground in front of it. In the middle stood two large stone pillars-you can still see them-who erected them in ancient times. The moonlight illuminated the clearing very brightly. In the middle of the clearing lay the girl who had died of terror and exhaustion. But it was neither the girl's body, nor that of Hugo Baskerville, which lay near her, that terrified the three bold drunks. It was the horrible thing standing next to Xiu Guo and tearing at his throat. It was a big, black beast that looked like a hunting dog, but no one had ever seen such a big hunting dog. Just as they watched the guy tearing Hugo Baskerville's throat was turned towards them with its shining eyes and mouth full of slobber. The three men cried out in terror, turned their horses and fled as fast as they could, even in the And exclaimed as we walked through the moor. It is said that one of the guys died of fright that night, and the other two were left insane for life.

"My children, this is how the legend of the hound came about, and it is said that the terrible dog has harassed our family ever since. I also write it because I feel that hearsay and nonsense Things that are guessed are more terrible than things that are known. It is undeniable that many people in our family have died suddenly, tragically and mysteriously. May God's infinite love protect us, No punishment shall be imposed upon me, three or four generations of pious Christians. My children, I command you in the name of God, and I exhort you to be careful, and never walk across the moor when night falls and the power of evil is strong.

"[This is a letter from Hugo Baskerville (this Hugo Baskerville is the descendant of the same name of Hugo Baskerville mentioned at the beginning of this letter.) to his two sons, Roger and John, And told them not to tell their sister Elizabeth about this matter.]”

When Dr. Mortimer had finished reading this bizarre account, he pushed his spectacles up to his forehead and looked at Sherlock Holmes.Holmes yawned and threw the end of his cigarette into the fire.

"Huh?" he said.

"Don't you find it interesting?"

"For someone who collects myths, it's really interesting."

Dr. Mortimer drew a folded newspaper from his pocket, and said: "Mr. Holmes, I will now tell you an incident which happened not so long ago. Here is a copy of the Devonshire The Chronicle, there is a short note concerning the death of Sir Charles Baskerville a few days ago."

My friend leaned forward and his expression became more focused.

The guest put his glasses back on and began to read again:
"The recent sudden death of Sir Charles Baskerville has caused much mourning in the county. It has been rumored that Sir Charles Baskerville may be chosen as the Mid-Devon Liberal candidate at the next election. Although Sir Charles Baskerville The manor has not been lived in for a long time, but it has already won the respect and love of the neighbors because of its kindness and generosity. At present, nouveau riche are flooded, and after a famous family such as Childs can return home rich and revive the family reputation that has declined due to bad luck Good news. It is well known that Sir Childs speculated in South Africa to get rich. But he was wiser than the unlucky ones, and he sold his property and returned to England. He was back at Baskerville Park for two years and people were talking about him. The huge rebuilding and restoration program, however, has been interrupted by his death. He was childless and had publicly stated that he would fund the entire rural area during his lifetime. Therefore, many people felt that his sudden death Condolences. His generosity to local and county charities has been featured in this newspaper.

"The post-mortem results have not yet cleared up all the circumstances relating to Sir Childs' death, at least not to the dispelling of rumors which have arisen from local superstition. There is no reason to suspect any criminal element, or to imagine that the death was not from natural causes. Sir Childs has been a widower, and it is said that he is sometimes insane in certain respects. He has a lot of money, but his hobbies are simple. There are only two servants in the Baskervilles, Mr. and Mrs. Barrymore, and the husband is the steward. Testimonies, corroborated by several friends, show that Sir Childs had shown signs of ill health, especially cardiac symptoms, manifested in a sudden change in complexion, difficulty in breathing, and severe nervous breakdown. James, friend and personal physician of the deceased Mortimer also proved this point.

"The facts of the case are quite simple. It was the habit of Charles Baskerville to walk every night before going to bed along the yew-lined walk of Baskerville Hall. The testimony of the Barrymores shows that the deceased had this habit. May [-]th Sir Childs had declared on the [-]st day that he wanted to go to London the next day, and asked Barrymore to prepare his luggage for him. He went out for a walk that night as usual, often smoking a cigar, but he never came back. At twelve o'clock , Barrymore was startled to find the hall door still open, so he lit a lantern and went out to look for the master. The ground was wet at the time, so it was easy to see the Sir's footprints, and there was a gate leading to the moor in the middle of the path. All the signs It all shows that Sir Childs stood at the door, and then he walked down the aisle, at the end of which his body was found. There is one thing that cannot be explained: Barrymore said that his master's footprints were in the past. After passing the gate to the moor, he changed his appearance, and seemed to walk on tiptoe since then. There was a gypsy horse dealer named Murphy, who was in the moor not far from the accident, but by his own admission. He was very drunk at the time. He said he had heard shouts but did not know where they came from. There was no sign of a violent attack on Sir Childs, but the doctor's note stated that his face was so deformed that it was almost unbelievable. to the extent that lying before the doctor were the corpses of his friends and patients--a phenomenon, it is said, that often occurs when people die of breathing difficulties and heart failure. Autopsies have confirmed this explanation, showing the presence of organs The coroner of the court also submitted a judgment in line with the doctor's certificate. This result is not bad, because Sir Childs' descendants will still live at the estate, and will continue the good deed that unfortunately interrupted, It is therefore evident that the importance of finding a home for Baskerville Manor will be difficult if the coroner's findings do not finally put out the wild tales passed down from the neighborhood about the matter. It is understood that the Sir's closest relatives It is Mr. Henry Baskerville, son of his brother. The young man was previously heard to be in America. An inquiry has been made so that he may be notified of the great inheritance."

Mortimer folded the newspaper and put it back in his pocket.

"Mr. Holmes, these are the generally known facts concerning the death of Sir Charles Baskerville."

"I am very grateful to you," said Sherlock Holmes, "for calling my attention to this rather interesting case. I had read some of the newspaper reports at the time, but I was at that time occupied with the case of the Vatican jewels, and was being Cases in England have been neglected under the urgent orders of the Pope. Does this report of yours contain all the public facts?"

"Yes."

"Then tell me some more inside story!" He leaned back in his chair and put the fingertips of his hands together, showing his extremely calm, judge-like expression.

"Then," said Dr. Mortimer, with growing emotion, "I will tell what I have not told anyone, even the coroner. As a scientific or, fearful of appearing in public that he too seems to believe in the superstitions that are circulated. I have another purpose, as the papers say, if anything should further aggravate the already rather dire reputation of Baskerville Manor. , then really no one would dare to live there anymore. For both reasons, I thought it was right not to tell all I knew, because it wouldn't do any good, but it would do you For me, there is no reason why I should not be open and honest, and tell the whole story.

"The inhabitants of the moor are at great distances from one another, and those who live nearer to one another are closely related. I have therefore had many occasions to meet Sir Charles Baskerville. Except Mr. Frankland of Ryford Park Apart from Mr. Stapleton, the biologist, there is no educated person for dozens of miles around. Sir Childs is a reclusive man, but his illness makes us see each other often, and he has a great understanding of scientific research. Common interests also help to bring us closer. He brought back a lot of scientific materials from South Africa, and we spent many beautiful evenings together, discussing the relationship between the Bushi (a primitive race of nomadic hunters in South Africa) and Comparative anatomy of the Houtenta, a race among black South Africans.

"In the last few months I have seen more and more clearly that Sir Childs' nerves were on the edge of his nerves. He believed the legend I read you--though he often walked about his own house. , but he refused to go to the moor at night. Mr. Holmes, you would not believe this. But he was convinced that his doom was approaching. Of course, the legends he heard from his elders were indeed impressive. Unhappy. Always thinking that something terrible was about to happen, he asked me more than once if I had seen anything strange or heard a hound howling on my nightly rounds. The latter question He had asked many times, always in a trembling tone of voice when he asked.

"I distinctly remember driving to his house one evening, about three weeks before the fatal incident. He happened to be at the hall door. I had gotten out of my little buggy and stood I was in front of him, and I suddenly saw his eyes staring at my back with an expression of extreme fear in his eyes. I turned around suddenly, and happened to see a black thing like a big calf running quickly past He was so frightened that I was obliged to go and look around where the animal had been. But it had gone. But the incident seemed to cast a terrible shadow over him. I stayed with him. One night, it was then that, in order to explain the emotions he displayed, he asked me to keep the account I just read to you. I mention this episode because it is related to the tragedy that followed It mattered. But at the time, I really thought it was a trivial incident, and that his panic was unwarranted.

"Sir Childs, following my advice, intends to go to London. I know that his heart has been affected, and his constant anxiety, however fanciful the cause, has evidently seriously affected his health. I I think a few months of city life will make him a new man. Our mutual friend Mr. Stapleton is very concerned about his health, and he agrees with me. But this terrible disaster is just before leaving. The last moment came.

"On the night Sir Childs died violently, Barrymore, the steward, found me, and immediately sent the coachman, Perkins, to come to me on horseback. As I was a late sleeper, I was in Baskerville within an hour of the accident. Manor. I verified all the facts mentioned in the post-mortem. I followed his footprints along the pine-lined road, and looked at the place where the gate opened on the moor. It seems that he was there. After waiting, I noticed a change in the shape of the tracks from there. I also found that there were no other tracks than those of Barrymore on the soft ground. At last I examined the body carefully again, and when I reached No one had touched it before. Sir Childs was sprawled on the ground, arms outstretched, fingers dug in the dirt; his facial muscles so constricted with emotion that I couldn't even make out. There was literally no scar on his body. But during the autopsy, Barrymore gave a false certificate. He said that there were no traces around the body, and he saw nothing. But, I did see it--just a short distance away, the footprints were as new Clear."

"Footprints?"

"Footprints."

"Is it a man's or a woman's?"

Mortimer looked at us curiously for a moment, and answered in a voice almost whispered: "Mr. Holmes, it is the paw-print of a gigantic hound!"

[-]. Mystery

Frankly, I shuddered at this, and the doctor's voice trembled too, which showed that he himself was agitated by what he had told us.Holmes leaned forward in astonishment, his eyes flashing with that gleam which characterizes him when he is deeply interested in a subject.

"Did you really see it?"

"As clearly as I see you now."

"Did you say nothing?"

"What's the use of talking?!"

(End of this chapter)